Cutting means



1952 w. J. LONGTIN 2,618,951

YARN CHANGER WITH CLAMPING AND CUTTING MEANS Filed Sept. 28, 1950 INVENTOR 2% Willmw lzayiabg ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 25, 1952 YARN CHANGER WITH CLAMPING AND CUTTING MEANS William J. Longtin, Philadelphia, Pa., assignor to H. Brinton Co., Frankford, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application September 28, 1950, Serial No. 187,188

4 Claims.

My invention relates to cutting and clamping means intended primarily for use in a circular knitting machine with a revolving cylinder or a revolving cam ring,- in connection with yarn changing means whereby any one of a group of yarns may be put into action under control of pattern mechanism, and it is an object of the invention to provide means for cutting off an idled yarn more certainly and effectively than has been possible with previously known means.

Another object is to provide improved means for holding the ends of all idle yarns.

Another object is to provide improved yarn cutting and clamping means that shall be simpler in construction than previously known devices for the same purpose, and which shall consequently be less expensive to produce, more durable, and less liable to get out of order.

Referring now to the annexed drawings, which are made a part of this application and in which similar reference characters indicate similar parts:

Fig. 1 is a perspective of my improved device,

Fig. 2, a partial side elevation of the same, with parts in open position to receive a newly idled yarn,

Fig. 3, a similar view, with said parts closed,

Fig. 4, a horizontal section on line 4-4 of Fig. 2,

Fig. 5, a section on line 5-5 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 6, an exploded view of working parts shown in other views.

In the drawings, reference character l indicates a block carrying the yarn fingers H which are located side by side for pivotal movement to place yarns in idle or non-feeding position or in position to be fed to independent needles at the knitting point. The springs l2 that bias them toward idle position, the mouth piece I3 and other parts, including the means for putting the yarn fingers into feeding position, are or may be such as disclosed in the patent to Aaronson, 1,883,320, October 18, 1932. A lock 14 is secured to one side of the block ID by means of screws l5 and a plate I1 is affixed to the outer face of block M by means of screws It, said plate 11 having holes at 16 that afford access to the heads of screws l5.

In a longitudinal groove in the outer face of the block there is mounted a spring plate I8 which has a protruding hook l9 at its outer end for engaging idled yarns and guiding them to a gap in rear of said hook and so to the clamping and cutting devices. This plate has a hole at 20 that is engaged by a screw 2! for holding it against endwise movement.

A slide 22 is also located in said groove, said slide being movable approximately radially of the machine so as to intercept a yarn extending from an idle finger to the needle circle. Said slide has a slot at 23 to permit the slide to move endwise. A spiral spring 24 is attached at one end to a pin 25 on slide 22 and at the other end to a pin 26 on plate I! for holding the parts in the position of Fig. 2. An outer spring plate 21 presses the slide 22 against the plate l8 due to the pressure of plate l1 against plate 21, and the plate 21 is held against endwise movement by engagement screw 2| in its hole 28. The plate i1 is cut away at its lower front corner at 29 (Fig. 2) to leave space for pin 25 to reciprocate.

The slide 22 has a shear edge at 30 at the rear of a depending lug 30 which coaots with a shear edge at 3| on plate 21 to sever any yarns that may come between said edges, and at the same time the ends of any idle yarns are clamped between the contiguous faces of plate l8 and slide 22 and held there until the finger controlling such a yarn is moved into feeding position and the slide 22 is advanced by pattern-actuated mechanism (which may be substantially similar to what is shown in the Aaronson patent above referred to). A plate 22a similar to plate 12 of the patent acts on the rear end of the slide 22 to move it toward the axis of the machine against the tension of spring 24. That part of the pattern-actuated mechanism which thus actuates the slide comprises a plate 22a with a cam edge 22:; that acts to advance the slide when the plate 22a is elevated by well-known pattern mechanism and the cam edge is followed by a working face 22c that is long enough to hold the slide in the advanced position of Fig. 3 until the newly idled yarn (or yarns) has entered the gap at the forward or left hand end of the parts I8, 22 and 21, after which the end of slide 22 rides off the working face 22c of its pattern mechanism member and the sprin 24 snaps the slide back to its shear closing position, so that any yarns that are in the gap are cut off by the snap shear action which is a very important feature of the invention in producing certainty of cutting off. The idle yarns are clamped at their free ends between the contiguous faces of slide 22 and spring plate [8.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that numerous changes may be made in the devices herein disclosed, all without departing from the spirit of the invention; and therefore I do not limit myself to what is shown in the drawings and described in the specification, but only as indicated in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a circular knitting machine having a set of pivoted yarn fingers located side by side for selective movement from idle position to yarn feeding position, the combination of a slide adjacent the yarn fingers, said slide having a depending lug at its inner end next to the needle circle said lug having a shear edge, fixed spring plates mounted at opposite sides of said slide and hearing against the slide at their inner ends, one of said plates having a hook providing a gap located to receive an idled yarn at a point between the needle circle and the corresponding yarn finger, said plate having a face coacting with an adjacent face on the slide to clamp the ends of idled yarns, and a shear edge on the other one of said fixed plates positioned to coact with the firstnamed shear edge for severing idled yarns.

2. A device as in claim 1, including pattern actuated :means for advancing .the slide, and :spring means :for returning theslide.

:3, A device :as in claim 1, including a patternactuated cam for advancing the slide, said cam being shaped to advance the slide gradually and to release it sharply, and spring means acting on the slide to retract it with a snap action upon its release.

4. Ina-circular knitting machine having a set of yarn fingers located side by side for selective movement from idle position to yarn feeding position, the combination of a slide having a depending lug at its inner end next to the needle circle, fixed plates bearing against opposite faces of the slide, '2. depending lug on one of the fixed plates, said lug having a shear edge 'coacting with the first-named shear edge for severing idled yarns, and a hook on the other one of said plates providing a gap located to receive an idled yarn between its yarn finger and the needle circle, said other plate having a face coacting with an adjacent :face on the slide to clamp the severed :end of an idled yarn.

WILLIAM J. LONGTIN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number 7 Name 7 Date 1,951,842 Robinson Mar. 20, 1934 2,268,039 Krasa Dec. 30., 194-1 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 367,034 Great Britain Feb. 18, 1932 

